Locomotive and tender connection.



H. F. BALL.

LOCONIOTIVE AND TENDER CONNECTION. APPLICATION FILED FEB. s. 1918.

1,268,539., Patented J une 4, 1918.

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HERMAN F. BALL, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FRANKLIN RAILWAYSUPPLY COMPANY, F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 4, 1918i.

Application med February 9, 191s. serial No. 216,400.

State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Loco- 4 motive and Tender Connections, of which improvement thefollowing is a specificat1on.

My invention relates to `means for connecting locomotive enginesand'tenders, of the general class or type in which such connectlon isnormally effected and maintained by a main draw bar, and the separationof the vehicles, upon the breakage of said main bar, is preventedby anauxiliary or safety draw bar, which, under normal operation, 1s notsubjected to strain. An instance of such type is exemplified in Letters'Patent of the United States No. 1,257 ,859, granted and issued toCharles L. Heisler, under date of February 26, 1918, upon whichconstruction my present invention is an improvement.

The object of my invention is to provide means, of simple andinexpensive construction and ready applicability under standardconditions, whereby the coupling together of a locomotive and tender, bya main and a safety draw bar of the above type will be materiallyfacilitated and expedited.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinalcentral section through the adjoining portions of a locomotive engineand tender, illustrating an application of my invention, the twoVehicles being indicated as being separated by a short space prior tobeing coupled; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the vehicles coupled, and,F ig.` 3, a horizontal section, on the line a' of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention, referring descriptively to the specificembodiment thereof which is herein exemplified, the-locomotive andtender are, as in Letters Patent No. 1,257,859 aforesaid, connected by amain draw bar, 1, which is coupled t0 the locomotive, by a pin, 2,passing through a pocket, 3a, on the foot plate, 3, and tothe tender bya pin, 4, passing through a draw bar pin casting 5. The vehicles arealso coupled by an auxiliary orlsafety draw bar,

10, located, below the nain draw bar, and having eyes at its endsadapted to be engaged with the pins, 2, and 4, which eyes are elongated,soas to provide a certain degree of slack or lost motion between themand the pins, and thereby to relieve the safety draw barvfrom tension solong as the main draw bar, which is normally under tension, remainsunbroken and in operative condition. In prior constructions of thistype, it has been necessary, in coupling the locomotive and tender, tocoincidently enter both the main and the safety draw bars into theirrespective pockets or receptacles on the tender, which operation isinconvenient and must be so carefully effected as to involve some delay.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a support for the free end ofthe main draw bar, 1, in coupling the locomotive and tender, by formingon either or both of the vehicles to be coupled, an outwardly projectingextension, which, for the tender, 1s in the form of aforwardly'extending prolongation, 5e, of the plate 5c, which separatesthe pocket or receptacle of the tender draw bar casting, 5, thatreceives the main draw bar, from the subjacent pocket/that recelves thesafety draw bar. The extension, 5, projects suiliciently for beyond thelower pocket to enable the end of the main draw bar to be raised bycontact wlth 1t, and rested on it, as the locomotive approaches thetender, to be coupled, while the safety draw bar hangs slightlydownwardly, vas indicated in Fig. 1. The safetydraw bar can then beraised, independently of the main draw bar, until it enters the lowerpocket, and the pin, 4, inserted through tne eyes of the two bars whenthey are entered suificiently far. A similar outwardly projectingextension, 3e, may be formed upon the plate, 3", which separates thereceptacle Vsafety draw bar;

the draw bars must be supported by the operator, and simultaneouslyentered, in making the coupling.

. I- claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a locomotive and tender connection comprising a draw casting oneach vehicle, an upper main draw bar, a lower safety draw bar, and meansfor detachably connecting said draw bars to the draw castings, thecombination, with one of said draw castings, of supplemental means fixedthereon for contacting with the free end of the main draw bar andsupporting said bar, independently of the safety draw bar, in theoperation of coupling the two vehicles.

2. In a locomotive and tender connection, the combination of twocoupling pins; draw castings upon the adjoining ends of a locomotive andtender, adapted to receive said coupling pins; a main draw bai` and aeach having end eyes to engage said coupling pins; and supplementalmeans, fixed to the draw casting of one of the vehicles, for supportingthe free end of the main draw bar, in its movement While coupling saidvehicles.

3. In a locomotive and tender connection, the combination of twocoupling pins; draw castings upon the adjoining ends of a locomotive andtender, adapted to receive said coupling pins; a main draw bar and asafety draw bar, each having end eyes to engage said coupling pins; andan outwardly projeeting support formed on the draw casting .0f one ofthe vehicles and located in position to receive and sustain the free endof the main draw bar, when moved toward the other vehicle in couplingsaid vehicles.

HERMAN F. BALL.

Witnesses:

LUCIE BAUsoH, M. E. WALSH.

